Polarization and Collision-Induced Coherence in the Beam-Foil Light Source

Abstract

Polarization up to 15% has been detected in the decay of electronic levels in many-electron monatomic systems which were excited by the beam-foil method, the foil being tilted with its plane at 65° to the particle velocity. Quantum beats were found even with an external magnetic field oriented parallel to the particle velocity, indicating that coherence is produced in the beam-foil interaction itself. Results are reported for various levels in He i, O ii, and Ar ii.